Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Dauri Moreta (elbow) underwent UCL surgery on Thursday and will miss the next 14 to 16 months. Moreta injured his right elbow earlier this spring and will now miss all of the 2024 season. There's a chance he won't be ready for the start of the 2025 campaign, either, depending on how his rehab goes. The 27-year-old Dominican reliever appeared in a career-high 55 games out of Pittsburgh's bullpen in 2023 and had a 3.72 ERA (2.93 FIP), a 1.09 WHIP, his first career save, 24 walks and a career-high 76 strikeouts in 58 innings pitched. Moreta has pitched to a 4.32 career ERA and 1.11 WHIP with 38 walks and 119 strikeouts in 100 innings pitched for the Bucs and Cincinnati Reds in his three big-league seasons.

Pittsburgh Pirates closer David Bednar (lat) is making his Grapefruit League debut on Thursday against the Toronto Blue Jays. The 29-year-old reliever came down with lat tightness earlier this month, which is why he hasn't pitched in a Grapefruit League game until Thursday. Now that he's getting into spring training action, he's optimistic that he'll be ready for Opening Day on March 28 next Thursday, but there's a chance that the Pirates ease him in early in the year to avoid overworking him on back-to-back days. Regardless, Bednar has proven to be one of the best relievers in the game the last two years and led the league in saves in 2023 with 39. Despite pitching for the Pirates, Bednar should be considered a top-10 fantasy closer.

Houston Astros manager Joe Espada said that he's considering hitting outfielder Kyle Tucker third behind outfielder/designated hitter Yordan Alvarez this year. Their ability to handle left-handed pitchers factors in, but so does third baseman Alex Bregman's ability to hit with runners in scoring position in the cleanup spot. Tucker still hit in the third-hole 37 percent of the time last year and hit 13 of his 29 home runs with a .938 OPS in that spot, so we think he'll be just fine there more often in 2024. The 27-year-old left-handed hitter is a top-five overall fantasy player after making the All-Star team each of the last two seasons. Tucker has hit .278/.353/.517 with an .870 OPS, 89 home runs, 311 RBI and 69 stolen bases in the last three years combined. He's a beast.

Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve reached base twice during his team's Grapefruit League contest versus the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday. The veteran, fresh off a five-year contract extension, doubled to lead off the game before coming around to score on a Kyle Tucker single. He would also draw a fourth-inning walk and also struck out before departing the contest. It's been a solid, yet unspectacular spring for Altuve to this point as he's hitting .263 (10-for-38) with one homer, three doubles, and a .754 OPS across 42 trips to the plate with four walks and 10 strikeouts in that time. However, he has also stolen three bases. Altuve continues to rank as one of the best fantasy second basemen after hitting .311 with 17 homers and 14 stolen bases across just 90 games in the 2023 season. He missed significant time to begin the season after suffering a broken thumb in the World Baseball Classic in March.

Tampa Bay Rays infielder Yandy Diaz clubbed a home run during his team's Grapefruit League contest versus the Philadelphia Phillies on Thursday. Diaz's third home run of the spring led off the game while he also added a double in the top of the fourth inning. The 32-year-old is hitting .313 (10-for-32) with those three homers and a double with just one walk versus six strikeouts across 33 trips to the plate this spring, good for a healthy .958 OPS. Despite dealing with groin issues throughout the 2023 season, Diaz raked to the tune of a .330 average with a career-high 22 home runs, 95 runs, 78 RBI, and a .932 OPS across an even 600 plate appearances. He is reportedly fully healthy this spring and carries a nice floor into the 2024 season but expect some regression in the home run department.